T-Mobile still a few years away from LTE transition
T-Mobile is sticking with HSPA+ for the long haul, Bloomberg reports — or at least for another few years. While major competitors build out LTE and WiMAX 4G networks, T-Mobile will continue to focus on its HSPA+ 4G network. T-Mobile has already stated that it intends to double the theoretical limit on the download side of its HSPA+ network from 21Mbps to 42Mbps in 2011. That speed increase and possible subsequent improvements to the carrier’s HSPA+ gear will have to suffice for “a few years” according to T-Mobile executives. But no matter, T-Moblers — everything is 4G now! LTE Advanced, LTE, WiMAX, 14.4Mbps HSPA+ , 21 Mbps HSPA+, 42Mbps HSPA+, GPRS… It’s all good! In all seriousness though, T-Mobile’s data network does not yet have to deal with the congestion seen on other networks, so high-speed HSPA+ is more than sufficient for the carrier at the moment. Other more congested networks have a more urgent need to deploy LTE and WiMAX, which can accommodate a greater number of simultaneous data connections with less of an impact on performance.
Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein is the Executive Editor of BGR. He has 10 years of industry experience, first in marketing and business development with two private Telcos, then as a writer and editor covering business, technology and telecommunications.
Leave a Reply